Title: Recursion
Author: Blake Crouch
Published: June 2019, Crown Publishing Group
Format: Hardcover, 336 pages
Source: Personal copy
Summary:
Memory makes reality.
That’s
what New York City cop Barry Sutton is learning as he investigates the
devastating phenomenon the media has dubbed False Memory Syndrome—a
mysterious affliction that drives its victims mad with memories of a
life they never lived.
That’s what neuroscientist Helena Smith
believes. It’s why she’s dedicated her life to creating a technology
that will let us preserve our most precious memories. If she succeeds,
anyone will be able to re-experience a first kiss, the birth of a child,
the final moment with a dying parent.
As Barry searches for the
truth, he comes face-to-face with an opponent more terrifying than any
disease—a force that attacks not just our minds but the very fabric of
the past. And as its effects begin to unmake the world as we know it,
only he and Helena, working together, will stand a chance at defeating
it.
But how can they make a stand when reality itself is shifting and crumbling all around them?
My thoughts: If you’ve been reading this blog or know anything about my reading tastes, you know that I do not typically read science fiction, but I decided to give Recursion a try because I was hearing such rave reviews about it and I was hearing it not full on sci-fi but more a sci-fi thriller and I was curious. Plus, it was a book club pick for an online book club I was part of, so I figured the support would help me through it. Well, it turns out I really liked it!
If you could do over a part of your life, turn back time, would you? This was at the heart of this book and certainly led to some interesting discussions during our book chats about the book. Tackling such tough subjects as memory and time, this book really did keep me engaged, with characters that I actually came to care for. I don’t typically love time travel, but it did work in this case and I was able to suspend believe for the sake of this story. Yes, there were some times where I was a bit lost, but overall, this book does keep you on the edge of your seat as you try to work out just where everything is ultimately heading.
I enjoyed my first sci-fi experience – though I think the fact that it crossed over into the thriller genre helped. I liked Blake Crouch’s writing and will definitely be adding Dark Matter, the author’s prior book, to my list as I hear that book is just as good.
